How to Encourage Your Tween to Develop a Quiet Time

As a Christian Mom, there is little else more important to my heart then encouraging my tweens in their own walk with the Lord. I understand the importance of doing my best to teach them how to have their own quiet time from tween to teen and beyond.

I also know from mama busyness and the #quiettimeguilt of my past that I need to be intentional in walking them through each stage.Without consistent encouragement, it will not become the priority to them that it should.

How do we encourage our tweens to develop a quiet time?

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Here are 4 Ways that have helped me encourage our tweens to develop a daily quiet time so far.

#1 Pray. Ask. See.

Definitely, take it to God first. Ask Him for wisdom in how to encourage your tween in this area. It can be challenging to know what to do when they vary in their learning styles and maturity level -more than age. Ask Him to help you see clearly your child’s needs. He can give you the strength you will need to be diligent in encouraging them about it.

After praying about it, ask your child. Ask them what they think they would like their quiet time to look like. Is there a certain special place in your home where they would like to spend time with God each day? For example, our oldest likes the room to herself during her quiet time. That takes effort on our part. The kids share a room and there is always someone around. This “ask factor” is also a great opportunity to make sure they understand the importance of it. The heart of it, not just the action. It doesn’t have to be complicated but they need to know it’s important.

Your tween knowing the importance of daily quiet time ties in with the “See” factor. Let them see you being consistent with your quiet time. Yes, I know the busyness. Remember the #quiettimeguilt I mentioned? But they notice, and it does make a difference.

#2 Do it together.

In the younger tween years, having a quiet time/study time together is a great way to develop a consistent habit. As homeschoolers, we have that together time built into our day. But this can certainly be done with any schedule as it works for you!

One of my favorite ways of doing this is super simple. Read a couple of verses etc and ask them some questions.

What it says about God, What God would think about ____, why? Or even what they think, what they would do, what they should do in that situation, or how it relates to situations they have experienced.

I absolutely love to hear them processing things out! And yes, I have been totally stumped before by an 8-year-old with some of the questions they come up with! It’s crazy sometimes. But it’s also a beautiful thing. It gives them a safe place to ask good questions of Gods word and they can know mom doesn’t “know it all”. I can tell them I don’t know the answer and offer to look into it together more.

If you want something more laid out for you, here’s a couple of resources we recommend.

You can find out Why We Love Bible Journaling With Kids as an option here!

#3 Transition to on their own.

The tweens are an “in between” for many things as you know. Helping them develop a daily quiet time is no different. As they grow, you can begin to encourage your child to start seeking God on their own. As your tween gets older or has been consistently growing in this area, you can add in different options for them.

Narrowing in on studies or journals that lead them to develop their own way. Using some kind of prayer journal along with slowly reading thru a book of the Bible and asking questions is a great option. I too like to have them retell me what they have read, it gives me great insight as to where they are.

#4 Grow together.

This is another fun stage we are at with our older tweens. Being intentional in your doing your daily quiet time together when they are young is great to show them what it looks like and to get them digging in and asking questions. Growing by studying together as they get older can be a really fun way to continue to build that bond.

It really has been an awesome thing to walk thru these different stages with our tweens so far. As they grow into their teens, my prayer is that they will have not only a consistent habit ofdaily quiet time, but an increasing hunger for God’s word!

So what do you think? Do you do any of the same or something different? What would you recommend for Developing your tweens quiet time?

Leave a comment below and let us know!

Joining you in the in be’tween’,

Lee

O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul;
You have redeemed my life.

Lamentations 3:58

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*Please Note: Affiliate links used in any of our posts are personal to us. We must love the products we recommend to you, our amazing community! We have to believe that they will serve you in order to recommend them.*